Thank you for the food - 68 years later. Läckberg - Country Bumpkin of 2011. Indian computer specialists increasingly come to Sweden. More Millenium.

Thank you for the food – 68 years later
A grateful Norwegian wrote a thank you letter to Svenska Norgehjalpen for a package of food for Christmas that he received – in 1943. Egil Hetlevik was 17 years old that winter; a harsh winter when Norway was occupied by the Nazis and food was scarce. Young Egil came from a big family and worked as a mechanics apprentice, the package full of Christmas food, fruit, and cookies must have been a welcome gift. “Like manna from heaven”, 85-year old Egil says today in his thank-you note. So why did it take him 68 years old to write it? “The reason is that I lost the Christmas and New Year’s note than accompanied the gift,” he says to Sydsvenskan. And on that piece of paper was the sender’s address. The sender, Miss Anna Sandberg, doesn’t live on Ellingegatan 19 in Malmö anymore. She passed away in 1948, at the age of 83. According to the archives she wasn’t married and had no children, so passing on Egil’s note to a relative of Anna’s is problematic. If you know of anybody related to Anna Sandberg, editors at Sydsvenskan says to contact them at 71234@sydsvenskan.se

Läckberg – Country Bumpkin of 2011
Crime writer Camilla Läckberg has been appointed Årets lantis (Country Bumpkin of the year) by the paper Land. It is her descriptions of Fjällbacka (a locality on the Swedish west coast where Läckberg grew up and where many of her books take place) that has earned Läckberg the title. “She has through her crime stories made Fjällbacka exciting as a tourist destination for tens of thousands of visitors, and she is very much in the news thanks to a new book, new films and marketing in the USA,” the motivation says. And Läckberg herself agrees: “The goal is to make Fjällbacka into Sweden’s Midsomer.”

Indian computer specialists to Sweden
More and more non-European Union citizens come to Sweden to work, according to Sveriges Radio. After the Thai berry pickers, Indian computer specialists have become the most common guest workers in Sweden. “The work culture without much hierarchy between employers and employees, and the chance to work with future technology are reasons why I came to Sweden a year and a half ago,” says Shilpika Kappa, who works at the IT-consult company Tieto in Karlstad. Over 2200 Indians received work permits in 2011, and the majority of them are computer specialists. Leif Lindström is the staff manager at Tieto, and he say Sweden has received more Indians than the other Nordic countries. “They are highly educated and they have the advantage to come from an English-speaking country,” he says. Around 20 000 non-European citizens applied for Swedish work permits during the last year, an increase with 20% compared to the first two years since the rules for labor immigration changed in 2008. And Lindström says it is not about getting cheaper labor. “When they start working here they get the same salary as the Swedish employees. It’s difficult to find competent personnel, not enough are being educated.” Around 14 500 were granted work permits in Sweden in 2011. Shilpika Kappa says he thinks he can stay for a longer period. “I want to grow old here,” he says.
www.sverigesradio.se

More Millenium
In spite of critics falling head over heels over Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander in the American version of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”, the film isn’t doing very well in the theaters. But fans needn’t worry, a spokesperson for Sony confirms that there will be at least another Millenium sequel. According to Sony, “The Girl Who Played With Fire” is moving forward despite the lingering perception that the first film has underperformed. Last November, Sony Pictures co-chairwoman Amy Pascal told Entertainment Weekly that “The Girl Who Played With Fire” was definitely a go, with a targeted late-2013 release date. And Rooney Mara told the same magazine that she’d love to play Salander again. “I don’t feel finished with the character,” she said. “I’m not ready to go back there yet, but I think by the time we start, I will be.”

More Mara as Salander is in the plans despite disappointing domestic audiences (it ranks 51 in mid-January 2012, so far grossing close to $90 million in the U.S.) for the Hollywood version of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.”